This Illustrator script is weird—why doesn’t the loop reach `i == 2`?

Forum|Forum|1 month ago
June 3, 2026
2 replies
75 views

I tried deleting the guides, but it only executed up to the second loop.
Is there something wrong with Illustrator’s scripting architecture? Some scripts that worked two or three years ago seem to have stopped working.

It’s such a mess—no wonder so few people are working on it.

var d=app.activeDocument;
var pl = d.pathItems.length;
//var isg = [];

for (var i = 0; i < d.pathItems.length; i++) {
    var p = d.pathItems[i];
    if (p.hasOwnProperty('guides')) {
        p.remove();
    }
    //if (p.guides == true) {
    //    //isg.push(p);
    //    p.remove();
    //}
}

Correct answer sttk3

var d = app.activeDocument ;
var pl = d.pathItems.length ;

// Deleting an item will change the index, so process in descending order
for(var i = pl - 1 ; i >= 0 ; i--) {
  var p = d.pathItems[i] ;

  // Every PathItem has a guides property, which is a boolean. Check it as a boolean
  if(p.guides) {
    p.remove() ;
  }
}

// Layer and layer group are the same in Illustrator. Add them using `layers.add`
var layerGroup = d.layers.add() ;
layerGroup.name = 'Layer Group' ;
d.layers[1].move(layerGroup, ElementPlacement.PLACEATEND) ;

pixxxelschubser

Community Expert

I probably wouldn't take the hard and rocky path.

Try this one-liner:

app.executeMenuCommand("clearguide");

dubloveAuthor

Legend

@sttk3 @pixxxelschubser

How to write the code to unlock the guide lines

pixxxelschubser

Community Expert

Try

// turns on the opposite state
app.executeMenuCommand('lockguide');

(However, when deleting guide lines using `executeMenuCommand`, it shouldn't really matter whether they are locked or unlocked.)
😉

dubloveAuthor

Legend

I think I made a mistake. The loop is using a variable.
var pl = d.pathItems.length;
The value of pl has changed.

But the first loop is supposed to run three times.

By the way, how do I create a new layer group?
A lot of the information on the forum doesn't seem to work anymore.

S

sttk3Correct answer

Legend

var d = app.activeDocument ;
var pl = d.pathItems.length ;

// Deleting an item will change the index, so process in descending order
for(var i = pl - 1 ; i >= 0 ; i--) {
  var p = d.pathItems[i] ;

  // Every PathItem has a guides property, which is a boolean. Check it as a boolean
  if(p.guides) {
    p.remove() ;
  }
}

// Layer and layer group are the same in Illustrator. Add them using `layers.add`
var layerGroup = d.layers.add() ;
layerGroup.name = 'Layer Group' ;
d.layers[1].move(layerGroup, ElementPlacement.PLACEATEND) ;

dubloveAuthor

Legend

Hi @sttk3

How to check if a layer group exists.
If it does not exist, an error will be reported:
No such element

var GGroup = d.layers.getByName(“GGroup”);
if (!GGroup == false) {
    var layerGroup = d.layers.add();
    layerGroup.name = ‘GGroup’;
}

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